Dallas doctor sentenced to 190 years in prison for poisoning IV bags
DALLAS - A Dallas anesthesiologist will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of tampering with IV bags and causing the death of a fellow doctor.
Former Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz learned his fate on Wednesday during a hearing at the Earle Cabell Federal Building.
Ortiz was sentenced to 2,280 months in federal prison. That's 190 years.
Federal Judge David Godbey ruled that the actions of Ortiz were the same as attempted murder. And while not in the indictment, the judge also found Ortiz responsible for the death of Dr. Melanie Kaspar.
"He did it," Judge Godbey said.
Ortiz was not in the courtroom to hear his sentence or the statements from his victims. He waived his right, and prosecutors said the Crime Victims’ Rights Act did not require him to be there.
"It was cowardly. I can’t believe he wasn’t forced to be in there," said John Kaspar, Dr. Kaspar’s widower.
But the judge did give Kaspar’s husband what he wanted.
"Everything I wanted to hear," he said. "It was the conclusion everyone knew. He knew I knew. Now it’s been put on record."
John Kaspar said his friends and family helped him through the "crushing" and "consuming" grief following his wife’s sudden death. He now plans to focus on remembering the good times with her.
"The batch of cookies every Sunday, the daily kiss goodbye even at 5 a.m., hugs when she got back from work, everyday occurrences," he said.
Dr. Melanie Kaspar with her husband, John
He’s also thankful that justice has now been served.
"He got exactly what he deserved," he said.
Roxanne Bogdan was Ortiz’s neighbor for 10 years and was once friends with him. But she began warning people about him after he shot her dog in retaliation for her testimony in an unrelated domestic violence case.
"He’s escaped the law many times for terrible things," Bogdan said. "He retaliated against me for testifying against him in court. He was convicted of shooting my dog in retaliation for my testimony. I’m really sad we could not have stopped him earlier."
Judge Godbey also found Ortiz responsible for all 11 patient events, not just the six in the indictment.
Dallas doctor guilty in IV tampering case
Video presented during Ortiz’s trial showed him repeatedly taking bags out of a warming bin and then putting them back.
Prosecutors said he injected dangerous drugs into the bags at a North Dallas surgical center, causing 11 patients to suffer cardiac emergencies in 2022.
Evidence at the trial showed at the time of the emergencies, Ortiz was facing disciplinary action for an alleged medical mistake during one of his own surgeries.
Dallas doctor found guilty of poisoning IV bags
Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz has been found guilty of injecting dangerous drugs into IV bags at the Baylor Scott & White Surgicare in North Dallas.
A fellow doctor died after taking an IV bag home to treat herself for dehydration.
Dr. Melanie Kaspar’s husband testified during the trial. John Kaspar recalled trying to revive his wife with CPR before paramedics arrived.
He said she sat up twice during the CPR with her eyes wide open, but they were lifeless.
Then 18-year-old Jack Alderstein received one of the tainted bags. His doctors testified he nearly died on the operating table.
TRIAL COVERAGE:
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Ortiz was convicted back in April on numerous counts involving tampering with a consumer product, resulting in serious bodily injury.
His sentencing was delayed on three previous occasions.